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Pharmaceuticals Group Beefs Up Messaging With Large-Scale Campaign

Having faced public criticism in recent years over drug prices and other controversies, PhRMA is hoping to recalibrate the industry’s place in the healthcare discussion with a broad-scale advertising campaign.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America is getting bold with its latest marketing endeavor.

On Tuesday, PhRMA announced its latest campaign, titled Go Boldly (or, as they’ve styled it, GOBOLDLY), with the goal of highlighting the good work that the industry’s rank and file do to help solve challenging diseases.

The multiyear ad campaign will be driven by commercials with inspirational messages (the first one, above, features a poem by Dylan Thomas) and include multiple online components. GoBoldly.com will offer more information on the subjects discussed in the commercials, and Innovation.org will highlight more in-depth news about the industry’s work.

“Thanks to the tireless work of biopharmaceutical researchers and scientists, we have entered a new era of medicine that is transforming the way we prevent and treat disease, PhRMA President and CEO Stephen J. Ubl said in a news release. “This campaign spotlights their perseverance and unwavering commitment to American patients for whom we all work.”

The campaign, which takes a stronger tack than a previous effort a year ago, comes at a time when negative press has been a challenge for the pharmaceutical space. Scandals of the last two years over high prices involving EpiPens and rogue former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, who is currently facing criminal charges, have put the industry group in a defensive posture at times.  (In comments on CNBC, Ubl said one goal of the campaign is to distance the industry from figures like Shkreli, referring to him as “some guy in a hoodie.”)

And, as Fortune notes, President Donald Trump has criticized the industry at times.

The Go Boldly campaign will include three public affairs initiatives focusing on advancements in science, value-driven healthcare, and public health. These efforts will kick off in February and March, according to the PhRMA statement.

(YouTube screenshot)

Ernie Smith

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. MORE

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